This page begins with July 3rd and a trip to Upper Grapefruit Rocks, on the Elliott Highway.&nbsp We had a great time and found an abundance of amazing flowers.&nbsp After we finished up at Grapefruit Rocks we went back towards Fairbanks and stopped to climb a short distance up the Wickersham Dome Trail.&nbsp We stopped after maybe 1.5 miles and called it good.&nbsp In Row 14 we begin a July 17th and 18th trip up the Steese Highway to Twelvemile Summit and then Eagle Summit, where we camped in our canopy on the night of the 17th.&nbsp Click on any thumbnail to begin.

Begin July 3rd

&nbsp As it says up above, on July 3rd we went out to climb Upper Grapefruit Rocks. The trail can be found at about 39 mile on the Elliott Highway. The first shot in this row shows Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), the second photo shows the Smallflower Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla) and the third photo shows a Northern Groundcone (Boschniakia rossica).

&nbsp Still climbing towards the top of Upper Grapefruit Rocks, the first and third shots in this row show examples of Death Camas (Anticlea elegans) and the center shot shows another Smallflower Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla).

&nbsp Here is one more shot of the Smallflower Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla) and then two shots of Spotted Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium guttatum). We feared that we had missed the season for this Orchid, but it ended up being perfect timing to find thousands of them at their peak.

&nbsp Here is a shot of another Spotted Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium guttatum), then a patch of Canadian Dogwood (Cornus canadensis) and finally, an example of Tufted Fleabane (Erigeron caespitosus).

&nbsp In first position in this row is another example of Tufted Fleabane (Erigeron caespitosus). The second shot is a scenic shot from the topmost of the Grapefruit Rocks. The third shot is a Northern Green Orchid (Platanthera hyperborea var. hyperborea).

&nbsp Here are two more shots of the Northern Green Orchid (Platanthera hyperborea var. hyperborea). The final shot in this row, a Pale Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja caudata), was taken after we left Grapefruit Rocks and started climbing up the Wickersham Dome trail. The Wickersham Dome trailhead can be found at about milepost 28 on the Elliott Highway.

&nbsp These three shots were taken as we climbed up towards Wickersham Dome. The first shot is a Tall Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum ssp. villosum) and the second and third shots show the Elegant Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja elegans). Isn't it elegant!

&nbsp Here is a shot of a Long-Pod Stitchwort (Minuartia macrocarpa) in first position, another Elegant Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja elegans) in second position, and then a scenic shot looking towards the summit of Wickersham Dome. Can you find the tower up on the summit?

&nbsp Surely you can find the tower on the summit of Wickersham Dome in the first shot in this row, right? The second shot shows Kazuya at the point where we decided to turn around and head back. We'd already climbed Upper Grapefruit Rocks today, so we felt no need to climb to the summit of Wickersham Dome too.

&nbsp On July 17th we headed for Twelvemile Summit and Eagle Summit. It was a chilly morning and it had rained during the night, so we were taking our time and stopped at a nesting platform that was built for the Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) so that they would stop building their nest on a power pole which is close-by. Here is a shot of a young in the nest. We searched in the distance and found the adult in a distant tree, which you can see in the second and third shots.

&nbsp Now we are underway again for Eagle Summit. We stopped along the highway where we saw this Small Blacktip Ragwort (Senecio lugens) which you see in first position. There were also an abundance of Monkshood (Aconitum delphiniifolium) there, as you can see in the second photo. The third shot is a close-up of the Monkshood (Aconitum delphiniifolium).

&nbsp Here is an example of a Mountain Valerian (Valeriana capitata) and that is followed by another shot of Pink Plumes (Bistorta plumosa). It's now 9:55 AM, so there are a large number of photos which were taken on July 17th on the following page too.